Means and method for increasing the speed of ships



Sept. 20, 1966 A. M. SENKEWICH 3, 7

MEANS AND METHOD FOR INCREASING THE SPEED OF SHIPS Filed Feb. 18, 1965 Fig.3

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INVENTOR.

MQ/ana ar United States Patent 3,273,529 MEANS AND METHOD FOR INCREASING THE SPEED OF SHIPS Alexander M. Senkewich, New York, N.Y., assignor of five percent to James M. Heilman, Rye, N.Y., and five percent to Marjorie Kingston, Flushing, NY.

Filed Feb. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 433,561 Claims. (Cl. 115-34) The submarine as well as any other type of a boat which is set into motion by the propeller screw, at the present time cannot continually increase its linear speed. A point will be reached when, although the number of revolutions of the propeller shaft is increasing, the linear speed will not increase, but will even decrease. This phenomenon occurs due to the formation of the air pocket around the blades of the propeller. At this moment, the blades of the propeller encounter the air instead of the water, there is no resistance from water, there is no driving force and the boat reduces its speed down to the point when the air pocket disappears.

With the application of my invention, the air pocket is eliminated and even its appearance is prevented. The blades of the propeller will not encounter the air and consequently the linear speed of the submarine may be increased indefinitely, limited only by the engine power and the strength of the parts.

FIG. 1 shows the top view of the entire device.

FIG. 2 shows the approximate space of the formed air pocket around the blades of the propeller.

FIG. 3 shows the device which draws out the air and then the water from the space where the air pocket is formed.

During the operation of the boats motor 11, the propeller 12 reinforced on shaft 13 is rotating. The greater the number of revolutions the shaft 13 will have, the greater the number of revolutions of the propeller 12 will have, and the faster the boat will move. However, at some limiting number of revolutions of the shaft, the air pocket (FIG. 2) will be formed around the blades of the propeller. The blades do not encounter the resistance from Water and the boat begins to reduce its speed even if the number of revolutions of the propeller screw is increasing.

If, at this moment, the high powered pumps 14 and 15 are turned on, then the air will be pumped out through pipes 16 and 17 from the air pocket, and immediately after the pumps will pump out the water (FIG. 3), which will fill the space of the air pocket.

One may ask why the air from the neighbouring layers of water does not enter the air pocket in order to preserve the equilibrium. It does not, because the pumps 14 and 15 are so powerful that the air from the neighboring layers of water does not have time to enter the space of the air pocket. These nearest layers of water and the successive layers of the water space will be drawn in in large quantities by the pumps into pipes 16 and 17. Due to this, after the pumps 14 and 15 are turned on, the entire space of the air pocket will be filled with water drawn in by pumps 14 and 15 into pipes 16 and 17 (FIG. 3). From this moment, the blades will encounter water rather than air and the boat, with an increase in the number of revolutions of the propeller screw 13, will increase its linear speed inasmuch as the power of the motor and the strength of the parts will allow.

Pipes 16 and 17 are situated symmetrically on both sides of the propeller shaft 13. The water, delivered by pumps 14 and 15 through pipes 16 and 17 will be ejected again into the sea through pipes 18 and 19. Since the direction of the ejected water by pipes 18 and 19 will be opposite to the direction of the flow of the boat, thus in this case the reactive principle takes place and the boat will increase its speed due to the jets of water ejected from pipes 18 and 19. The more powerful the motors 14 and 15, the more powerful are the jets of water ejected from pipes 18 and 19 and the boat will move faster. I

The speed of the boat will consist of two factors. First-the speed depending on the number of revolutions of the propeller shaft 13, and second-the speed depending on the power of the water jets ejected from pipes 18 and 19. Pipes 18 and 19 are situated symmetrically in relation to shaft 13 in order not to influence the direction of the movement of the boat. From these considerations, the power of pumps 14 and 15 is taken to be identical. Practically speaking, I propose not to allow the formation of the air pocket around the blades of the propeller. For the accomplishment of this, there may be two variations:

Variation 1.Turning on pumps 14 and 15 without Waiting for the limiting number of revolutions of the shaft when the air pocket forms but at some point after the main motor is turned on.

Variation 2.-Turning on pumps 14 and 15 at the same time when the main motor of the boat is turned on. Then not only the appearance of the air pocket will be prevented, but from the first instant when the boat begins to move, the water ejected into the sea from pipes 18 and 19 will somewhat increase the speed at which the boat moves.

Summarising everything presented above, one may say that a submarine as well as any other type of a boat which is set into motion by a propeller screw at the present time is limited in speed at some limiting number of revolutions of the shaft and at a given diameter of the propeller.

The main reason for the limitation in speed of such a boat is the formation of the air pocket around the blades of the propeller. With the application of my invention, there will be no appearance of this air pocket and the linear speed of the boat may increase without limit, as much as the power of the motor and the strength of the parts will allow.

Besides this, with the application of my invention, the speed of the boat will somewhat increase at the expense of reactive action of the water jets, ejected by the pumps from pipes 18 and 19.

Brackets 20 and 21 are attached on one side to the wall of the boat and the other side is inside clamps 22 and 23. The brackets are used for a more rigid support of pipes 16 and 17. The propeller shaft bearing is indicated by numeral 24, and the water-resistant seals by 25, 26, 27 and 28.

I claim:

1. Ship propulsion means comprising a propeller mounted on a hull, means for removing air from around said propeller comprising at least one pipe extending through said hull to the vicinity of said propeller, pump means mounted Within said hull for removing the air from the propeller area into the hull and then out again to aid in propelling said hull.

2. Ship propulsion means comprising a propeller mounted on a hull, means for removing a combination of Water with air from around said propeller comprising at least one pipe extending through said hull to the vicinity of said propeller, pump means mounted within said hull for removing a combination of Water with air from the propeller area into the hull and then out again to aid in propelling said hull.

3. Submarine propulsion means comprising a propeller mounted on a hull, means for removing combined water and air from around said propeller comprising a plurality of pipes extending through said hull to the vicinity of said propeller, pump means mounted within said hull for removing the combined water and air from the propeller area into the hull and then out again to aid in propelling said hull.

4. A method for increasing the propulsion of a propeller driven ship by removing water and air from around the propeller comprising at least one pipe extending through said hull to the vicinity of said propeller, pumping and removing the water and air from the propeller area into the hull and then out again to aid in propelling said hull.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1945 Stepanoff 103113 11/1964 Froehlich 1l416 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

1. SHIP PROPULSION MEANS COMPRISING A PROPELLER MOUNTED ON A HULL, MEANS FOR REMOVING AIR FROM AROUND SAID PROPELLER COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE PIPE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HULL TO THE VICINITY OF SAID PROPELLER, PUMP MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HULL FOR REMOVING THE AIR FROM THE PROPELLER AREA INTO THE HULL AND THEN OUT AGAIN TO AID IN PROPELLING SAID HULL. 